Des Mots Simples
by pekori
Summary: A careless thought or comment is often the catalyst for the most catastrophic chains of events, but even Kyouya could never have anticipated falling quite this far. [English title: Simple Words]
1. Je me souviens

Author's Note: Hello! There are a few things I have to discuss with you today before you settle into reading. Firstly, the mention of Shakespeare. I like the idea of coming up with my own crazy cosplays for the host club, and this time I went with a play with which you may or may not be familiar. If you aren't, there are some really great synopses of it lying around the internet, so if you're confused, go right ahead and google it and I'm sure you'll be able to figure out which scene they were performing. Secondly, there are some language experiments in this one. It's mostly in English, but near the end we have a bit of French. Also, in case you haven't noticed, the title of the story (as well as the titles of the chapters) are in French. I try to provide translations where I can because not everyone speaks French, of course. Hopefully you enjoy! 

Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: _Ouran High School Host Club_ was created by Bisco Hatori and definitely not licensed by myself. Therefore, the following is a work of fiction using characters that are not my own, and no harm nor profit is meant or made by publishing this.

* * *

**CHAPITRE UN: JE ME SOUVIENS** — **CHAPTER ONE: I REMEMBER**

The boy stood there, brooding at his reflection in the mirror, for a very long time. So long, in fact, that it was hours ago when he stopped keeping track at all.

Usually he wasn't like this. Usually he could get over his slumps in little more than the blink of an eye. This time, though... This time was different; this time it was big.

He tried, now, to recollect the exact moment when this awful feeling had swept over him. For the first time since it had, he turned his frighteningly lifeless blue eyes away from the mirror so that he could concentrate. Even then, it only came to him in bits and pieces, and each of them was from a different part of the memory. So, he was forced to piece it together like a jigsaw, meticulously matching the beginnings and ends together in the correct pattern. Well, as close to it as he could remember.

Today's antics at the meeting of the host club had been particularly trying, if only because of how elaborate the entire production was. This time they used a Shakespearean work for their cosplay: A Midsummer Night's Dream. Admittedly, it was his own brilliant decision to "Add more realism!" to the setting by having them memorize quite a large amount of lines for each of their respective characters in the short time they had before the club opened. Not a single one of them seemed overly pleased with their king for making such a call on such short notice, but they obliged none the less. Ironically (or perhaps not so), the twins, both dressed as the mischievous Puck, griped the most about having to remember their lines even though they easily could have split the lines up between them. Then again, they didn't complain nearly as loudly as Haruhi did when she found out she was going to be playing the Hermia to his Lysander.

He laughed a little when he came to that part of the story. Yes, he could still hear her shock and dismay when she got her first look at her costume. It only worsened when she realized she was the romantic lead opposite himself. Honey did what he could to make her see it was all in good fun, trying to make her laugh as he imitated the sternest voice he could for his own character, Hermia's father Egeus. To round out the lot of them, Mori was given the role of Demetrius, the man Egeus wished for Hermia to marry, and Kyouya was Oberon, King of the Fairies.

The small portion of the play they acted out went over brilliantly, and despite having almost no time to prepare, it was only Haruhi who managed to consistently forget her lines. Then again, they were all prepared for that too, each of them knowing quite well that Haruhi wasn't much of an actress, and would sneak in with her lines written on small cards, hidden within their costumes. Still, it did seem to make her all the more frazzled, but the clients only giggled warmly both at the antics and mostly at the site of Haruhi in a dress.

It was all fine and well to remember the events of the host club meeting today, but as he couldn't recall a single thing going awry (for once) it didn't really do him any good. "Think, Tamaki," he urged, closing his eyes as he poised a graceful hand over his face to block out the light in his bedroom which was obviously distracting him from properly remembering things. _The play, the costumes, the characters..._

Now it was after school, and he had returned home to rest awhile. The air and sun outside were very warm and inviting, but he was feeling drained. It wasn't because of the club, though, nor due to his classes. No, it was something else that was just out of reach in his mind. He knew that it had to do with one of his friends. Something one of them had said? Done? His instinct was to think of the Hitachiins, wondering if there was a prank they had pulled or if there was some snide remark they had made about being in Haruhi's class that had set him off. Well, naturally, there were several things, but he had brushed them all aside rather quickly; those types of comments never really affected him for very long. But if it wasn't the twins, then who? Haruhi herself? That didn't seem right either because she had actually been fairly reasonable about not pointing out those flaws she liked to imagine for him. And all Honey did was eat cake and all Mori did was _watch_ him eat cake.

That left Kyouya.

His eyes shot open, their regular fire now clearly evident and shining brightly again, because all at once he knew. He abandoned his reflection and immediately returned to his bedside to grab the telephone. It was the only number he could ever really memorize, but that happens when you make your first friend, he supposed. As he waited for Kyouya to answer, he slumped down onto his mattress, his anxiety growing more and more with each unanswered ring. All hope was lost, it seemed, until, finally, a voice spoke clearly on the other end of the line.

"Kyouya! Did you really mean what you said to me earlier?" The sentence came out in a single, short breath, his excitement far beyond restrainable.

"...Is this another one of your games, Tamaki? I'm really not in—"

Frustrated and near tears, he resorted to his mother tongue, the language he had spoken for years before he ever met the boy listening to him now. "_Non! Non! Je dois savoir! Je dois!_" ["No! No! I must know! I must!"]

There was such a very long pause after he yelled that he could only fear the worst. A choked sob sneaked its way from his throat and he couldn't recall a time when he had felt more vulnerable and more afraid. So much hung in the balance at this moment and so much could go irreparably wrong.

"Tamaki-kun, could you meet me later?"

"Eh?" It wasn't at all the response that he'd been expecting, both in syntax and in tone; he always had a soft voice, but this sounded secretive.

"_Je te supplie..._" ["I beg you..."]

"_Ou-oui_, euh... yes." He was thrown, having forgotten the brief period in which his friend studied the language to better understand him. "Yes, of course. When? Where?"

"I'm not yet sure. I'll call you." There was another, shorter pause, and Kyouya was back saying, "I'll call you as soon as I can. I have to go, now, though."

The pair said their goodbyes and he defeatedly hung up his phone. He truly hadn't gotten any closer to the source of his melancholy even after all of this wasted energy on thinking and remembering. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he fell backwards onto his bed, arms bent awkwardly wherever they landed and his head turned toward the door rather than his bedside table. He knew he would wait there until Kyouya called him back, unmoving and unchanged, just as he had been when he had arrived home. Somehow, ironically, he ended up being the one who had to wait.

And he couldn't stand it.

* * *

_à continuer_


	2. Une Confession Bizarre

**CHAPITRE DEUX: UNE CONFESSION BIZARRE** — **CHAPTER TWO: A STRANGE CONFESSION**

Tamaki fell into a light sleep while awaiting Kyouya's subsequent phone call. However, it seemed that even his subconscious could not deter him, and on the first ring, he jolted awake and immediately dove for the telephone. "Kyouya?" Even he, as blundering as he tended to be, realized his stupid mistake and only hoped that whoever was on the other line either was Kyouya or wasn't the type to ask questions.

"No, Tono." The twins, of course, spoke in unison.

"Ah! Hikaru, Kaoru, what need do you have of your king?"

"Well, we were going to invite you to come along with Haruhi and us to the zoo," Hikaru began.

"But we see that you're expecting a call from Kyouya," Kaoru finished.

"Next time!" they again said in unison, and quickly hung up before Tamaki could get in a single argument.

The funny part was that, if anything, Tamaki was relieved by the brevity of the call and, in fact, didn't try to argue at all. Not even for the sake of his precious "daughter." He didn't have time to even begin contemplating the oddity of that, though, because promptly after he hung up with the Hitachiin twins, the telephone rang once more. This time he was better prepared, answering properly.

"Tamaki, are you busy?" Kyouya spoke, a certain and unnatural tone of hesitance in his voice.

"No. I've been waiting for you to call back. Are you ready to meet?"

"Yes. I'll be there shortly to pick you up."

"Ah, good, good. Where are we going?"

"You'll find out. Just be sure to dress casually."

"Of course. So I'll see you soon?"

"Yes."

There were, again, a short series of goodbyes befitting of the entire tone of the conversation. Only after he had set the receiver back in its cradle did Tamaki realize how curt Kyouya's answers and explanations had been. It only made him all the more curious, however, and he hurriedly stood up to dress for wherever they were going.

It was before he had finished that Kyouya arrived and one of the maids knocked on his bedroom door to inform him of the car waiting outside. Tamaki pulled on his socks and shoes with a bit of disregard, and burst from his left bedroom door, the maid only just missing certain doom due to the sheer luck that she was to the right. He thanked her on his way past her, his stride long and rushed, wanting to get outside as quickly as possible to avoid any hitches.

But there were those footsteps; he could hear them already and he wasn't even anywhere near the door. He sped up to a near jog, but that only seemed to make the footsteps speed up as well. Not taking any chances, he broke into a run, which allowed him the short-lived victory of setting a hand on the door before he heard speech. At this late in the chase, though, there was no sense in hesitating, and against his better judgement, Tamaki flung the front door open and didn't look back, not even to pull it shut behind himself.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the outside, but once they had, he saw Kyouya standing by the car with just a hint of a smile. He, on the other hand, beamed back at his friend, and pointedly rushed over to him. "Come on! I'm excited to find out where we are going to!" Kyouya laughed despite himself and turned to open the door again so the pair of them could climb in.

The drive itself started off uneventful enough.

"Kyouya, am I dressed all right?"

"Yes, yes. Your outfit is fine."

"Can I just have a hint?"

"No."

"Mommyyyy..."

At this, Kyouya said nothing, by which Tamaki quickly ascertained that he must try a new tactic.

"When we get there, will you answer my question? The one from before?" His voice had no remains of a whine left in it, but was heavy with the same sort of curiosity a small child's would have when asking about the existence of one of those less tangible entities, like fairies or leprechauns.

Kyouya paused. "Yes, Tamaki. I meant what I said to you earlier." Immediately, Tamaki's face brightened. "However, I don't think it's anything nearly as exciting as what you've managed to imagine for yourself." Immediately, Tamaki's face darkened.

"I don't understand, Kyouya."

"There are certain elements of the dynamic of the host club by which I can no longer abide."

"Kyouya, what are you saying?"

"And, if it weren't for the fact that it would go _completely_ bankrupt..." Unable to help himself, Tamaki's face once more lit up, watching Kyouya expectantly. Kyouya observed him for a moment, seemingly pondering. "No, no. I can't go back on my decision."

"But, Kyouya, we need you! Haruhi needs you! _Daddy_ needs you!"

"That...is the thing that concerns me the most." While confusion had prevailed over everything in their trip thus far, Tamaki wouldn't have hesitated to say that that was the most cryptic thing Kyouya had said to him all day. It was also evidently written all over his face, for Kyouya had to look away from it and set a hand to his face to hide himself. "That I've come to need you as well."

"Then it's settled! You'll stay!" And that was that. Crisis averted.

"It's not that simple, Tamaki."

"What are you talking about?"

He noticed that Kyouya tensed a bit, as if he were about to say something dire. He watched his dark eyes flick toward the front of the car, eyeing the driver suspiciously. Then, very carefully, he spoke. "_Tu ne comprends pas. _Je_ ne comprends pas. Je pense à toi constamment, du l'heure que je me lève au l'heure que je me couche_." ["You don't understand. _I_ don't understand. I think of you constantly, from the time I get up until I go to bed."

Again, neither moved nor said a word for quite some time. One only watched while the other looked shamed for one of a very few times in his life. Tamaki would later realize that he may be the only person Kyouya could ever feel comfortable being vulnerable around, but right now he was only fixated on the topic at hand. "Kyouya..._es-tu amoureux de moi_?" ["Kyouya...are you in love with me?"

A slight jerk of his head demonstrated more reluctance than disagreement, and Tamaki was unsure whether or not he should continue to pry. But certainly none of this made sense to him in the least. He tried to recall a moment in time where he might've been able to sense it, but Kyouya's emotions were so imperceptible sometimes that it was a doomed mission. So he only looked on, watching his friend with a sort of tenseness of his own, but one entirely different from the one Kyouya was feeling.

* * *

_à continuer_


	3. Ne pas Être Stupide

**CHAPITRE TROIS: NE PAS ÊTRE STUPIDE** — **CHAPTER THREE: DON'T BE STUPID**

"Kyouya, where are we going?" Tamaki wanted to speak about this at length in a language in which they were equally comfortable. Thankfully, he didn't need to wait long; the words barely had the time to leave his lips before the car suddenly halted. Tamaki was the first to reach for the door, extending an arm past Kyouya so that he could get out first. Kyouya obliged coolly, but gratefully, while Tamaki gracefully exited the vehicle after him, shutting the door behind him.

They were in a park. A commoners' park. Tamaki was torn between his excitement at being taken to a place like this and his concern over the conversation the pair hadn't even begun to have. With bright, almost admiring eyes, he turned to Kyouya, mouth open and ready to give thanks, but was silenced with a gentle wave of his hand and a small smile that said there was no thanks necessary. Then Kyouya turned to make his way to an empty bench, shaded by a lonely tree. Though there were other benches in close proximity with people scattered among them, this particular one had a certain sense of solitude surrounding it. Tamaki hurried to keep up with Kyouya who seemed to be anxious to be sitting again with the way he was walking so quickly.

Proper as ever, Kyouya waited for Tamaki to join him before taking a seat. Tamaki sat rather near to him, not so much in case they needed to whisper but simply because he wanted to. He wouldn't be the first to speak, though, waiting for an answer to the question he had posed in the car and knowing that it would take a bit of time to answer.

"I don't know," Kyouya said quite plainly, but with a distinct tone of hurt.

"Well, I'm sure it's just..." Tamaki trailed off, realizing only just in time that now would not be an appropriate time to make mention of "Mommy" and "Daddy." "Kyouya," he began again, "it won't change—"

"Don't be stupid, Tamaki."

He fell silent, the words spoken to him stinging his heart as much as his ears. After something like that, it was impossible to know what to say. There was going to be no comforting Kyouya with this, especially considering that he, Tamaki, was effectively the catalyst that started all of this trouble in the first place.

"I just wish that I knew why it happened, or how. I remember when we first met that I thought you were absolutely ridiculous. I thought that you couldn't possibly be true. Then the more that I got to know you, the more fond of you I became. And then, one day, I woke up and realized that there was a lot more to it than what I had originally expected. Somewhere along the line you had truly managed to captivate me in a way I never thought any other would or even could.

"I never expected love, Tamaki. I never expected a feeling as overwhelming as this. So it really came as quite a shock, that day, when I got to school and I felt myself become a bit lightheaded when I saw you. I thought I was just getting sick. I thought it was a sudden onset of a fever, and that was why I went to the infirmary that day at the expense of arriving late to my clients. But there was nothing medically wrong with me, despite the swimming feeling in my head and the lightness in my stomach, and that's when all of this started happening and it's only gotten worse since."

Kyouya paused in his speech to steal a glance at Tamaki, who was watching him interestedly, hardly blinking. Of course he had noticed something affecting Kyouya over the past few weeks; he recalled that much. The moments where he could see it were always so fleeting, though, that he didn't even think to inquire about them. There was a heavy weight of guilt on him now, compounded by his inability to imagine any sort of response at all.

"The most complicated part of this predicament is the simple fact that it's an impossible situation."

Tamaki felt strangely wounded by that statement, his face contorting to match. He sat up a little straighter, and stared at Kyouya a bit harder. "What do you mean 'an impossible situation'?"

"Tamaki, you know as well as I that something this scandalous would never come to any real fruition. There is nothing tangible to be gained from this."

He was in disbelief to hear these things coming from this mouth. "Nothing to be gained? Kyouya, I hardly think—"

"You are not suggesting that this is requited." Kyouya eyed Tamaki skeptically, but with a small glimmer of hopefulness only just hidden by the slight glare off his glasses.

"Well, what if it was?" Tamaki knew he was being reckless, now, but he couldn't help himself. Kyouya's admission seemed to have awakened something in him that he had only ever considered once in a handful of dreams that were forgotten by morning. He was always so focused on his conflicted feelings for a certain girl, feelings he did his best to bury and forget and ignore and now this, here, was a real reason to forget for good. This was a cause worth pursuing because as much as he did care for Haruhi — very deeply, in fact — a part of him had always rejected the idea of that sort of forever with her. This, here, was a different story.

"It wouldn't matter anyway. It would never be condoned or even possible."

"Who _cares_?" Tamaki spoke the words slowly, his hands moving of their own accord to clasp Kyouya's, who didn't pull away, but didn't comply either.

They sat like that for a long while, watching each other with a swirling, inconstant mix of fear, anxiety, curiosity and wishfulness. People passed by — some looking, some not — but none heard a word being said. The pair stayed in silence for minutes that soon enough turned into a full half-hour. Neither boy had moved even a fraction of an inch save the intermittent blinking of their eyes and the rising and falling of their chests and the slight twitches in the corners of their mouths.

Finally, after a pause that slightly differed from the silence they had found themselves in, Tamaki leaned in quite slowly, and set a pair of delicate lips to a pair that weren't all at once forgiving. They were soft, but reluctant, and as he felt them jerk to pull away, he pursued them, pushing a bit harder to try to keep them in place. So they stayed and they carefully let down their guard, the last defenses dropping as eyes fell shut. A hand eased its way from under Tamaki's, fingers threading lightly and nervously between each other. Now, again, they stayed this way for a long time, until the fantasy abruptly ended with Kyouya coming to realize exactly what it was that he was doing and, more notably, where.

"Shit. No, Tamaki. No." The hand disentangled itself in a panic, fingers momentarily becoming more tightly threaded in its hurry to release itself, and was quickly placed over a mouth that looked scandalized. He shook his head and he stood up without saying a word, quickly marching back in the direction of the car. Tamaki had no choice but to follow.

"Kyouya, stop!"

But he didn't stop until he got to the car and sealed himself back inside of it. For a fleeting moment, Tamaki wondered if he was going to be abandoned here, but as it stayed, he hurried over and let himself in on the other side.

Kyouya said nothing to him, did not even flinch in an effort to look his way, and was so tense that he was visibly trembling. Once again, Tamaki was at a loss for words, the only thing he could think to say being, "_Je suis désolé_..." ["I'm sorry..."]

* * *

_à continuer_


	4. Un Mensonge Pétit

**CHAPITRE QUATRE: UN MENSONGE PÉTIT** — **CHAPTER FOUR: ONE SMALL LIE**

The following day at school felt empty. Tamaki hadn't slept well the night after their rendezvous, the only sleep he got at all being riddled with dreams he didn't remember but for the uneasiness they left in their wake. Of course, being how he is, he was brilliant at disguising it all. In fact, no one noticed a thing all day until he arrived at the music room.

The twins were segregating themselves as usual, tucked away on a couch at the far end of the room. Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai hadn't yet arrived, and Tamaki suspected it was because the latter was still finishing up kendo practice. Haruhi wasn't anywhere to be seen yet either, and while he was certainly concerned for her safety, it fluttered from his mind rather quickly when he spotted Kyouya seated at a table with his laptop open, typing away furiously. For the first time all day, he paused, unsure of himself and actually wishing he could be anywhere but here.

"Tamaki-senpai, is something wrong?" Haruhi's gentle voice called up to him. Without the sense to first change his expression, he looked at her and at first saw nothing but two big, brown eyes staring up at him, more perplexed than concerned because Tamaki Suou just wasn't the type of guy to feel down about anything.

"Ah, Haruhi. I'm much better now that you're here." He offered her one of those signature grins of his, hoping that for once she wouldn't just see right through him.

"No, there's still something amiss." Her eyes narrowed, analyzing Tamaki from stem to stern. While he could only stand there and feel awkward and humbled by her perceptiveness, he didn't notice the twins slinking toward them.

"Tono!" they spouted in harmony.

"Is there anything we can help you with?" Kaoru asked.

"Maybe taking this commoner off your hands?" Hikaru elaborated.

The pair wore the same devious smirk and the same glint in their eyes and their poses were precise mirror images of one another's. Haruhi, hearing the comment about herself, got a bit angry. "Tamaki-senpai and I were talking before you two came over. Go back to what you were doing." She didn't raise her tone as much as she simply changed it, giving it an edge to demonstrate that she meant business. Everyone, Tamaki especially, knew enough to listen when Haruhi spoke like that, so it was no wonder when the twins begrudgingly returned to their position on the couch, griping about how rude Haruhi was.

Tamaki, having flinched a bit on instinct upon hearing that voice, was rather awe-struck once he realized that she was directing it elsewhere for once. "Haruhi...th—"

"Now, as I was saying. There is something about you that isn't quite right today. Senpai, did something happen yesterday?" Without even missing a beat, she went immediately back to her analysis. At any other time, Tamaki surely would've praised his "darling daughter" for being so steadfast, but with the eyes trained on him it was a much different story. If anything he was only made more nervous by the fact that she wasn't giving up quite so easily.

"Haruhi, have you forgotten the play already? I surely don't mind performing it alongside you once more if that's what you desire." He did his best to keep his voice from wavering any more than it regularly did, putting on the airs that he bundled himself in at all times to dull the pains of the past couple of years he had spent in Japan. It was a lot easier with all of these friends by his side, but nothing had ever made things quite so easy as the one friend who now felt the coldest.

Her face demonstrated quite plainly that she all-too-vividly recalled the play from yesterday. "That isn't what I was talking about." Tamaki was fairly sure he heard the word "idiot" mumbled beneath her breath, but he knew it was only a tease so he ignored it in favor of continuing his charade.

"Then perhaps a different scene? Ah! I know! How about—"

"Did you and Kyouya-senpai have a fight?"

Blunt as ever, she never ceased to stop Tamaki dead in his tracks like no one else could with the way she picked up on nearly everything once she set her mind to it, only to point it out so unabashedly. He felt quite naked, standing there in front of her and having just been called out on his carefully crafted lie, and wasn't yet sure how best to respond. It was too late to keep up the façade, but he didn't feel very comfortable admitting everything to her with unworthy ears in such close range. But his hesitance seemed to be response enough for her for she quickly took him by the wrist and led him to speak in private in the dressing rooms.

"What happened?" It was like and yet so very unlike Haruhi to be so domineering. Again, Tamaki only wanted to praise her, but feared that it might cause her to leave, and he so desperately wanted to talk to someone about this. It was just that Haruhi seemed to be the least likely person he could've chosen to spill this story to, considering.

"Ah, well, he and I had a bit of a talk. He wanted to leave the club. He...he said he had come to a decision on something, and it turned out that it was that he was...well, I'm not sure, really. He said that there was an ethical issue with the way things are run≈"

"Senpai, forgive me, but that doesn't make any sense. Didn't he originally agree to co-found this with you after he'd only just met you? What would make him finally decide you were completely crazy after two years?" The hesitance on her face showed that she was wondering if she had just answered her own question.

"No, no! He decided not to leave us after all, thanks to me." He still was trying so hard to seem like himself despite Haruhi having already shattered his disguise.

She still wasn't convinced. "Then why are you two not speaking?"

Tamaki opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't think of a single word with which to begin. He wanted to tell her the truth: that it had — very literally — been his stupid mouth to cause all the trouble. But this was Haruhi, his "daughter," his...then again, if he couldn't tell Haruhi, who could he tell? "I told Kyouya how I feel about him." He lied. For all the damage he caused, he thought that maybe this one lie could help to clean it all up.

"Which is?"

Yes, this was still the same Haruhi. "That I am in love with him." One slightly larger lie was better to clean up a mess with: it covered more area. Although, judging from the look on Haruhi's face, he just might well need a much, much bigger lie.

"Senpai, I think this is the dumbest joke you have ever told in your life."

"It's no joke, Haruhi."

"Kyouya-senpai isn't—"

"I know. He made that clear to me yesterday." This part was not a lie; Kyouya's reaction had been more than enough for Tamaki realize he had made the completely wrong move in the completely wrong setting and that he had done a truly brilliant job at destroying one of the best things he had going for him.

"And he's still upset about it?" Tamaki nodded. "Well, that's stupid. I should think that Kyouya-senpai would be a little more forgiving and understanding than that, especially since it's you." He wasn't sure if that was meant as a compliment or not, but he took it as one anyway because there was no sense in thinking it was an insult. Then, without saying another word, Haruhi pulled back the curtain and exited back into the music room, Tamaki in tow.

What he didn't expect was the scene that unfolded in front of him the moment she walked through the door.

* * *

_à continuer_


	5. Vraiment?

**CHAPITRE CINQ: VRAIMENT?** — **CHAPTER FIVE: REALLY?**

She approached Kyouya hurriedly, determinedly, but not with the same air of urgency with which she had spoken to Tamaki only moments before. Their voices were so hushed that they didn't even echo in the spacious arena of the music room. Then, just as quietly, Haruhi led the way back to the dressing rooms, this time with Kyouya alongside her.

That left a very visibly discomforted Tamaki standing all alone. For once, even the twins opted to leave him be, as they too could sense the disturbance in their numbers. He slunk miserably toward one of the sofas, crumpling into it with an air of defeat unlike any he had ever experienced within these rose-colored walls. The thought of that struck him as moderately amusing and a smile erupted onto his face. For all of the haunting things this room blocked out, it couldn't have possibly worked forever, and, of course, its first victim could be no one less than the "king" himself.

"Sorry we're late! We..." Honey-senpai, who had just sprung into the room, trailed off in the quiet, tense atmosphere of the third music room. Mori stepped in after his cousin and shut the door, only to be led immediately to the couch where Tamaki was currently curled.

Honey-senpai took a seat beside his friend, his legs kicking idly as he watched him for a few moments before speaking. "Tama-chan, what's wrong?"

"Mitsukuni," Mori interrupted, a warning tone to his voice. Honey-senpai looked up at Mori, clutching his bunny a bit tighter. Then he looked back at Tamaki who had neither responded nor even shifted in his position since the two had joined him. It was as if he had no inkling they were even there beside him. The understanding dawned a bit slowly over Honey-senpai, but once it had, he edged himself off of the sofa to follow Mori over to their usual table. The look he threw over his shoulder to Tamaki was full of want and confusion, but he was wiser than he looked and knew that sometimes there just was no helping.

Tamaki didn't notice Haruhi and Kyouya's return, nor the clicking of their shoes against the marble flooring, nor the light shuffling of their uniforms as they came to a halt beside him. It took a gentle clearing of her throat for Haruhi to get his attention, and even then Tamaki was loathe to look up. The look Kyouya wore didn't help Haruhi's cause in the least once Tamaki saw it: the boy's dark eyes were averted to the windows far past Tamaki, his mouth no more than a straight slit across his face. Haruhi glanced at Kyouya when she saw Tamaki staring, but said nothing more to him. "You two need to talk." Without a word or even a hint of agreement, Tamaki stood to show he was prepared to follow her instructions if only for lack of any better ideas.

The dressing room was a little cramped with the three of them in there together. Tamaki took a seat on the floor, knees pulled to his chest, while Haruhi and Kyouya remained standing. She crouched beside him momentarily to urge him to stand up as well, but he wouldn't and she didn't push him. Once she had righted herself again, she spoke. "This is ridiculous." Then she abandoned them, her departure as abrupt as her statement.

The pair knew that she hadn't been as upset with them as she was exasperated. She wanted to do all that she could to right things, but they were making her job impossible. Tamaki was known for recovering quickly, but also for knowing when he was truly in the wrong. Kyouya was simply being stubborn; whether it was to save face or for his own merit Haruhi didn't know because he hadn't spoken more than a handful of words to her.

After another unwanted, uncomfortable, unnatural silence, Tamaki was the first to speak up. "I'm sorry, Kyouya."

"There is nothing to be apologizing for except making Haruhi worry so that she would waste our time on this nonsense."

"She isn't wasting our time. _You_ are wasting _our_ time by being so bull-headed." Tamaki was angry, but more than that he was hurt that Kyouya could be like this. This wasn't any side of him Tamaki had ever seen in the years he had known his friend. It didn't suit him and he felt that Kyouya's only excuse for it was a rather poor one. He knew love didn't care about wealth or status or merits or namesakes; people cared about those things, and Kyouya just wasn't the type of person to care about those things beyond his need to impress his father. "Life isn't all about status."

"It's easy for you to say that."

That remark had cut Tamaki very deeply. "Just because I don't come from the same things you do doesn't mean everything is easy for me, Kyouya."

"I didn't say everything was easy for you, Tamaki."

"Why are you doing this?" Tamaki had shouted, but gave only half a second's thought to the repercussions. The rest of their friends were sure to figure things out well enough on their own anyway; things were never secrets for very long among the Host Club.

"I could ask the same of you."

"Then why don't you?" He was still yelling. "Because you don't want to hear my reasons why, do you? You don't want to hear about how much I've grown to care for you because it scares you that you feel the same way!"

"Tamaki—"

"It doesn't _matter_ who or what we are, Kyouya! All that matters is love!"

"Tamaki, that's enough."

"I love you, Kyouya Ootori, and I know that behind all of this bullshit you love me too!"

"I said _enough_." This time it was Kyouya who raised his voice, though more as if he were scolding a child. He was swift to lower it again, a menacing growl rippling through the undertones. "The whole world does not need to be thinking about my interests."

"The whole world doesn't care about you and it would do you some good to stop thinking that it does, even for a second." Tamaki didn't give Kyouya the chance to reply before he stepped out from behind the curtains. Leaden feet carried him toward the couch he had been curled up on before, but they grew wings as he went past it. The time had almost come for the meeting to start and there were no excuses for being tardy. No, no, there were princesses to think of, compliments to weave, tea and cookies to serve. Tamaki Suou would not be so easily defeated. He was a prince — no: a king — and he would fulfill those duties in the face of any amount of pain and torment. There was not a suffering in existence that he could not conquer and vanquish.

"Everyone!" he called triumphantly as he approached the double doors leading out into the hall. "Places, places. Our customers are sure to begin arriving at any moment and we must be ready for them! Haruhi, do we have enough coffee?"

"Yes, Senpai."

"Hikaru, Kaoru, are the table settings in place?"

"Yes, Tono!"

"Honey-senpai, are the cakes out?"

"Yes, Tama-chan! And they are delicious!"

"Excellent! Now, then..." He made a grand gesture of unlocking the doors before returning to the rest of the group sans Kyouya. Then all the group had to do was wait. And wait.

And wait.

After the first five minutes, Tamaki didn't worry; it was the subsequent passing of another fifteen that had him wondering what had happened. Just as he was about to cross the room to open the doors, one began to creak open. That restored the brightness to his face, though only for the brief moment before the situation came to light.

As he took in a breath to speak their welcome, he was interrupted by the meek voice of a girl who looked as if she'd been harassed into entering the room under penalty of banishment. She could hardly look at the club members, let alone speak to them, and Tamaki was the first to rush to her side. "Princess, tell me, what is it that has you so fearful so that I may shield you from it?"

"I...is it true that you...I mean, a few of us arrived a bit early, and...that is to say..."

"Do not be afraid. Nothing can harm you as long as you are with me."

"D-do you really love Ootori-senpai?"

* * *

_à continuer_


	6. Un pour tous, tous pour un

**CHAPITRE SIX: UN POUR TOUS, TOUS POUR UN** — **CHAPTER SIX: ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE**

When Tamaki came to, the room was filled only with the same five friends as before, Kyouya still being absent. "Eh, Tono, we thought you were a goner."

"More like wished."

"Quiet, you two. He's waking up." The last voice was Haruhi's, and she sounded very close. He opened his eyes slowly, partly afraid but mostly just enjoying the quiet. His vision soon cleared and he could see that Haruhi was leaning over him expectantly, smiling broadly at him. "You fainted. Mori-senpai carried you to the couch and we let you wake up on your own."

"The princess..."

"We decided not to take any customers today in light of..." She trailed off, her face unsure. Tamaki didn't want to hear or see anymore and let his eyes fall shut again. Reliably bumbling Tamaki had managed to make a mess of everything anyway. No one knew what to say to him, seemingly still dealing with the shock of a situation none of them had ever anticipated.

"Where is Kyouya?"

There was a very long, pensive pause that followed his question. He heard Haruhi take in a breath, but it failed her and only swept immediately back out of her before she could form a single word. "He's gone, isn't he? And no one knows to where." Tamaki opened his eyes to sweep the faces of the friends he had left, knowing enough that he wasn't about to get a verbal reply. Their expressions said enough. He carefully righted himself, his head reeling a little despite his caution.

"Senpai, no, lay back down. You bumped your head pretty hard when you hit the floor," Haruhi urged, her voice soft and almost mothering.

"If it had been serious enough, you would've taken me to the infirmary, not the sofa." No one replied to that remark, and Tamaki stood, wobbling as if he had forgotten how to balance. Then he turned from the group and headed for the door. He hadn't the slightest idea to where he was going, except that he was going to find Kyouya. There were things he still needed to tell him, whether his friend wanted to hear them or not, and he would pay any price to be able to do so.

It pained him that no one tried to stop him. He was walking better now, but he still didn't trust himself enough to try running, so he would have been easy to catch. He supposed it was because there was a mutual understanding amidst the lot of them that he needed to accomplish this task alone. Of course, he had been wrong before — many times, in fact.

"Tono!" The twins were pounding down the hallway after him, their shoes clopping noisily in the corridor and the sounds of their footfalls echoing everywhere. "Tono, wait a second!"

Tamaki stopped, but didn't look to them; he simply waited for them to catch up.

"Do you really think this is such a good idea?"

"What about the host club? Don't you think it would be ruined?"

"What about Haruhi?"

"What about all of us?"

Their questions were rapid-fire, and Tamaki hadn't a clue who had said what, but it didn't matter. "Hikaru. Kaoru. Sometimes you do things for the sake of many other people. Sometimes you do things for the sake of one other person. Maybe I am being selfish this time, but I can't lose him. Not like this. Not because I couldn't keep our secretto myself. This is my grave, and I will lie in it."

"Ah, Tono, that's a bit morbid, isn't it?"

"This isn't the end of the world, is it?"

"Think about," Tamaki said, "if the other one of you disappeared. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would be the end of the world as you know it. Now, I have to go find Kyouya."

Tamaki began walking again at the same slow gait. The twins did not pursue him. They neither moved nor made a sound and Tamaki felt comforted that they were managing to take something seriously for once. Then, the twins ambushed him, each taking an arm, and escorted him unceremoniously back to the third music room to much irate and mildly violent resistance.

"What is the meaning of this?" Tamaki was livid, but restrained; the twins had secured him quite nicely to a chair by means of the rope they had used to help with the stage props the other day.

"You've brought us into this mess..."

"...So now it's our job to help dig us all out."

"Tama-chan, it isn't just you that's hurting."

"When there is a disturbance, we are all affected."

"One for all, and all for one," Haruhi finished with a small laugh at the end.

Tamaki could feel himself beginning to cry a little. A smile curled its way across his mouth and his eyes moved slowly from one face to the next. For all of his concentration on fixing things with his very first friend, he'd nearly forgotten that that's what all of his other friends were for: assistance. "I've been a fool."

"What else is new?" the twins posed.

"It's okay Tamaki-senpai. We forgive you." Haruhi patted his head affectionately, smiling at him.

"So, untie me and we can set to work about bringing Kyouya back!"

"No chance," the twins promptly responded.

"What! But why?" Tamaki was slightly panicked, but Haruhi was already scolding the twins and moving around to the back of the chair to undo the knots they had made.

"We tied the knots too tightly."

Haruhi stopped and let out a small sigh. She circled around in front of Tamaki again and gave him a bit of a hopeless look. "I guess you're stuck for now. Then again, it might not be all bad."

"Nonsense! As your king I demand to be untied this instant!"

"On the other hand, do we have a way to gag him, too?"

"Haru-chan, we are getting nowhere," Honey-senpai interjected, followed by an affirmative sound from Mori-senpai.

"Fine, fine. All right, where do we think Kyouya-senpai could have gone?"

The group began to compile a list of locations both in Japan and out; with the way he had reacted earlier to the girls at the door, there was truly no telling where Kyouya ended up. Once it was sizeable, they worked to narrow it down. It didn't seem likely that he would have left the county no matter how upset he was simply because Kyouya was not so irrational. He probably wasn't at home, nor was he likely to be on school grounds. Tamaki wondered if Kyouya would have gone back to the park he had taken him to, but that seemed just as foolish because there was no reason for a victim to want to return to the scene of the crime. Eventually, they managed to whittle the list down to a handful of Ootori vacation homes, but there was no telling which was the correct one.

"This is boring," Hikaru said.

"We're pretty much right back where we started," Kaoru agreed.

"We can't give up, you two. We all depend on Kyouya." Haruhi was frustrated because this wasn't a puzzle that was so easily solved. Her logic was failing her and thusly failing her friends.

"Haruhi," Tamaki said softly, "maybe it is time for a short break. Then we will have fresh, rested minds which think a lot better than tired ones." He offered her a smile, which she returned more emphatically than he was expecting.

"Let's have cake!" Everyone had seen that suggestion waiting in the wings, though none were disappointed with it. Honey-senpai was, of course, overjoyed, and Mori-senpai and Haruhi went about getting plates and slices set up for everyone, along with a fresh batch of coffee to go with it. Tamaki did make a bit of a fuss, as he was still secured to the chair, but the twins silenced him quickly by offering Haruhi up to feed him. She was clearly not thrilled with the prospect, but it was enough to motivate her to look for something sharp to cut through the rope. With the twins' help, she eventually managed to hack through it with a now rather dull pair of scissors, but at least he was freed.

Tamaki rubbed gingerly at his delicate wrists, which had a bit of a rope burn, as he settled back into the chair that had just held him captive. As the five were settling down to snack, a familiar sound caught them all off guard: the doors to the music room were opening and footsteps were crossing the floor, hurried but not rushed. Tamaki didn't need to turn around to know that this wasn't a good sign, though; the grim looks on the faces of the Hitachiin brothers was enough to tell him so.

"Tamaki, come with me at once."

"Yes, Father."

* * *

_à continuer_


	7. Un beau Gâchis

**CHAPITRE SEPT: UN BEAU GÂCHIS** — **CHAPTER SEVEN: A FINE MESS**

Tamaki hadn't even been given the opportunity to explain a thing to his remaining friends. His father, unable to speak to him at the moment due to an impending meeting, had simply sent him back home. He hadn't said more than he needed to, but it hadn't been necessary. Tamaki was sure that news of his confession was already sweeping through the campus, seeing as it had clearly already made its way to the ears of his father. He didn't know how he was going to get out of this one.

He took the stairs one at a time, contemplating turning and running with each step forward. Just as he made it to the top, he thought he might've worked up just enough courage to follow through, but was thwarted by the figure of his surrogate caretaker at the second mansion, Maezono-san, stepping through the doorway to meet him. "I've just had a phone call from your father, Tamaki-bocchama. He explained to me that you would be coming home from school early. You are not feeling well?" Her voice was moderately concerned, but none too impressed.

"No, Madame."

"I'll have one of the maids tend to your needs and the cooks set straight to work on food for you. For now, I recommend immediate bed rest."

Tamaki gave a gracious bow before stepping in quietly. Then he headed immediately up to his bedroom, not wishing to spend more time in her presence than necessary for fear he would crack in front of her from the stress.

He dropped his books onto the desk near the door, slipping his shoes underneath it. He didn't bother to change out of his school clothes before climbing into bed, except to drape his blazer over the back of the matching desk chair. He truly wasn't feeling well: there was an ache in his stomach and head and chest, and he almost hoped for a stress-induced fever. It wasn't very classy, but it would keep him out of school for a little while; those ornate walls and grand hallways only reminded him of Kyouya and he was having enough of a time trying not to think of him as things were.

Laying his head on his pillow, Tamaki thought a little sleep might do him some good. He shut his eyes and hoped for the best, but wasn't expecting a lot. Still, he found himself drifting off quite pleasantly despite his troubled mind, and didn't awaken until he heard a sharp knock on his door. By then, daylight was gone and he hadn't the slightest idea of the time.

He slid out of bed and crossed the room to open the door, expecting a maid. Instead, he found his father, looking stern, but not upset. "Did you rest well?" Tamaki nodded. "I'd like to speak with you about some important things, Tamaki." He nodded again and stepped aside so that his father could enter the bedroom. The pair took up seats across from each other at the table Tamaki often used for either homework or breakfast, depending on the time of day. Right now, it was completely empty, save the vase in the center with one red and one white rose resting neatly inside of it.

"Father, I can explain."

"You don't need to, Tamaki. However, it will cause a few problems in our relations with the Ootori family."

"I didn't mean for it to happen."

"I know you didn't. I understand that we don't control with whom we fall in love." Tamaki knew this well enough. He watched his father closely, observed the face that could still so frequently be seen pining, but said nothing. "You've got to understand, though, that you can't force someone to return your feelings."

"I know, Father."

"Kyouya Ootori is a fine boy and I think that he will make his father very proud someday. But when he came to me explaining that you had tried to kiss him, I didn't know what to think."

Tamaki went blank.

"Still, it's been difficult enough trying to convince your grandmother to accept you as the Suou heir. This will surely only complicate things. There are better ways to unite empires, Tamaki."

"F-father, I..." He stopped himself; he hadn't given Kyouya up to Haruhi, so he certainly couldn't give him up to his father, despite this news. "I understand."

"What about that Fujioka girl, hm? You two seem to get along quite well and she has a brilliant mind. She would make—"

"I can't marry Haruhi, Father. I can't betray myself like that." He wasn't quite comfortable speaking out of turn this way, but the words had come flying out of him before he had gotten a chance to censor himself. His father smiled anyway.

"I understand. For the sake of appearances, though, and especially in light of the new rumors traveling around the school, I suggest you find yourself a girl, even if it's just until you find someone you can truly love."

Tamaki nodded, though his whole body felt numb. His father wasn't upset, simply sad. "I will talk to Haruhi about it soon. Maybe she can help me to find someone."

His father smiled. "Good." He stood, gently pushing the chair back into place at the table, and walked around it to set a hand on Tamaki's shoulder. "You know, for all that I have done and seen, there isn't a single way I wouldn't accept you, Tamaki. Remember that."

Now, too, Tamaki smiled, and looked up at his father. It was good to feel this level of comfort, this level of love; it put him at ease. "I think I am just going to sleep through the night. It looks like it's already pretty late."

"A wise decision, though I do expect you to attend school tomorrow." Tamaki's displeasure showed on his face. "You have a bit of a mess to clean up, _n'est-ce pas_?" ["...do you not?"]

Tamaki only gave an empty laugh, and his father ruffled his hair a little before turning to leave. As the latch clicked, a strange feeling of familiarity came over him. His father had been placed in a similar situation, following love or money. But if it hadn't been for love, he wouldn't be sitting here in this predicament in the first place. It was difficult, yes, and it hurt very much, but there was nothing he wouldn't do for love. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Kyouya.

He swallowed, his face falling with the realization. At every turn, life seemed to want to take something from him and it looked like this time was to be no different. But, if that's what it took then that's what it took, and Tamaki wasn't going to try to fight things. He would speak to Haruhi tomorrow about the situation. Although he did wish all it would take to remedy things was her, but he knew enough that she'd never give herself up even for this. Besides, the lot of them had come too far for her to have to quit the club now.

Life could and would continue without Kyouya. Even if he came to the club tomorrow, Tamaki would treat him no differently. Even if he felt miles away from him, Tamaki would cherish the two years they spent together, inseparable — much to Kyouya's chagrin — but complementary.

Besides, with the way everyone had come to his rescue today, there was no room for him to continue being so selfish.


	8. Le Type de Coeur de Glace

**CHAPITRE HUIT: LE TYPE DE COEUR DE GLACE** — **CHAPTER EIGHT: THE HEART OF ICE TYPE**

The following few days at school were lonely ones for Tamaki. Usually he would see Kyouya at least a dozen times before lunch, but he hadn't even seen him a dozen times this week. He always ate by himself in a classroom — a move unbefitting of the host club "king," but one that he deemed necessary all the same: he would have looked much sillier eating by himself in the cafeteria, especially amidst all of the whispers and eyes that looked only for him. Whispers that he knew were not about how unabashedly handsome he was. Eyes that were staring in the hopes they'd catch him with another boy, Kyouya or otherwise.

He could only wish he would be caught with Kyouya; at least it would mean they were in the same room.

Club meetings had been canceled for days because Kyouya never came, but the lot of them still met in the music room out of habit. When the time came today for the club meeting, Tamaki surely wasn't looking forward to it. Normally the first to arrive, he entered the room to find everyone else nearly finished with the set up of the tables. Each looked up at him in turn, save the dark figure patroling the other side of the room, clipboard in hand and pen working diligently across the page.

Kyouya had shown.

Tamaki stopped immediately at the door, feeling vulnerable and afraid. He could only stand and stare in disbelief at the hand that wrote so meticulously, never missing a beat, never making a mistake; it was as cold and calculating as the mind that powered it. Tamaki had never imagined he would find himself on the wrong end of that mind, but now he wondered if there was anything he couldn't believe. Kyouya had abandoned _and_ betrayed him; Haruhi had turned her all-seeing eyes onto him and thusly seen right through everything...

One by one his friends slowed in their work, the single exception being the one on which Tamaki was counting. He wanted Kyouya to look up. He wanted Kyouya to notice him at all, even if it was only to scoff in disgust. But he just wouldn't. And Tamaki's first instinct was to anger so quickly he didn't have any time to prepare himself for it.

Haruhi tried to speak to him as he approached, but her words wilted in the heat of his rage as he passed by her without so much as a glance. No one else dared to make a move after that, and even seemed to shrink back a little in his presence. He finally came to a stop in front of Kyouya and stared down at him, fists balled, though he couldn't quite work out what to say just yet. Kyouya seemed not to care either way.

"Either say what you're going to say or go help the others set up." Kyouya's voice was so calm, collected — so like him.

"Is that who we are to each other now?" Tamaki's voice barely raised above a whisper, but it was urgent and a bit threatening.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Tamaki."

"Why won't you look at me?" Tamaki had nearly yelled, but only just managed to hold himself back. "Are you embarrassed? My father told me that you came to him."

"I did what I had to do."

"You didn't have to do anything, Kyouya. There are millions of ways we could have played the situation off and no one would have known a thing! Now the entire school suspects us and it's—"

"Surely you are not about to suggest that this is my fault."

That was the last straw for Tamaki, so he turned and walked away. He went immediately to the group, said nothing, and settled uncomfortably into the robotic motions of laying out teasets. There was no flair to his actions; there was no "Tamaki." He ignored the heartbreak on Haruhi's face as she watched him just as he ignored all of the whispers of his schoolmates and especially the way the other four also stopped to watch him in his frustration, one by one. Eventually, though, one could only ignore so much. He fell into tears, falling onto the nearest sofa in a broken heap. That was enough for everyone.

"Oi! Senpai!" the twins called to Kyouya, who didn't look up.

"Kyou-chan! Please, come apologize to Tama-chan." Honey-senpai sounded exceedingly worried, more so than he had yesterday. Today, though, it was much more evident just how dire the circumstances were. Kyouya didn't budge.

"Kyouya-senpai!" Haruhi shouted quite angrily. "He's _crying_."

"He brought this upon himself," was Kyouya's only reply. The cool type had become the frigid type. The sub-zero type. The heart of ice type.

"How can you sit there and say that when all he did was love you?" Tamaki wished he could have felt empowered by Haruhi making such a stand on his behalf. As things stood, he just couldn't be filled with anymore emotion, which only days ago had seemed an impossible feat for the silly French boy.

"This is cold, even for you, Senpai," the twins echoed.

Kyouya could apparently take no more of this. He stood, then left the room, pushing past the day's first clients. A few of the girls called his name, though most of them simply gasped in surprise. The twins were quick to rush to the door and explain to the girls that there would be no club today either, trying to dispel them before they could catch sight of Tamaki sobbing on the sofa. They had only just begun to weave their lie when Tamaki came up behind them looking as regal as ever.

"Now, now, you hooligans, what is all of this? Of course we are opening the club. We cannot deprive such lovely ladies forever!" Then he flashed the girls a smile driving a few near the center to grow quite faint and forcing some of the others to catch them to keep them from melting straight to the floor. "Hikaru, Kaoru, if you'll step aside, we have guests to welcome."

The twins didn't argue, but the looks on their faces were incredulous as Tamaki took the hand of the first girl in line and escorted her personally to his table to sit with him. He looked entirely unruffled, composed, and...regular. None of his fellow hosts could understand how or why the change had taken place except that it was so like him that they knew they shouldn't have been surprised. Tamaki always changed his moods at the drop of a hat (or arrival of a designation) so why was this so different?

This question plagued the members for duration of the meeting, but it wasn't the only reason things felt so off. The tension in the room was palpable even with Kyouya gone — or maybe because he was gone — and the clients could tell. Everyone was uneasy and it left the cakes tasting dry and the coffee a bit stale. For the full two hours, each host was forced to divert attention from the fact that they were only six, not seven. Each of Kyouya's clients who opted to stay were split among the remaining hosts, a rather ironic amount choosing Mori. Tamaki suspected that it was his quiet demeanor, his warm grey eyes, his dark hair, his not altogether unwelcoming attitude. Being quiet didn't mean you were heartless. At least, that was how Tamaki had always seen Kyouya.

He didn't realize he had been speaking these thoughts aloud until he was grounded by his clients, one of them shoving him back into reality when she asked, "What about Kyouya-kun?" That had shut him up rather abruptly, though he couldn't help noticing that more than a few of the girls looked disappointed that he wasn't going to talk about his well-known new love interest; the rest of the faces looked relieved, his reluctance perhaps serving as proof to them that they still had a chance at capturing the heart of their Prince Charming. Those were the faces he spoke to the most urgently, concentrating on them as if it could really undo all of the damage his loud mouth had done in the past week, focusing on them so intently that a few times he was told to "stop staring at her" and "pay more attention to me."

After the last guest had departed, Tamaki was the first and only one to set to work with the clean up. The rest just watched him. "Come, come, now! We have to tidy up before we can go home for the day!"

"Senpai," Haruhi began hesitantly, "what about Kyouya?"

Tamaki's motions paused, but he didn't look at her right away. "I think that he has made his decision."

"And you are going to accept it just like that?"

"You all heard for yourself. There is nothing to fight for."

Haruhi approached Tamaki, taking him firmly by the shoulders. "There is everything to fight for, and you know it." He could only look back at her helplessly, watching her eyes that opened just a bit wider as if to say, "Go."

He looked to everyone else, then, his frightened blue eyes scanning grey, brown, amber, and each pair saying the same thing as the pair before it. When they came to rest again upon Haruhi's, her voice really did speak to him this time. "If you don't go, you might never get him back." It was strange that she could seem to know so much of the situation when she had hardly been told a thing. Stranger still was how obvious it was that she _knew_ she knew.

So Tamaki ran after the only thing in the world that could matter to him anymore, consequences and his grandmother be damned.

* * *

_à continuer_


	9. Dans la Bibliothèque

**CHAPITRE NEUF: DANS LA BIBLIOTHхQUE** — **CHAPTER NINE: IN THE LIBRARY**

The sounds of his shoes pounding against the marble were all that he could hear. The walls of the corridors layered the noise a hundred fold until it might as well have been a stampede flying down the hallway, but it was just one boy on the greatest mission of his life.

He had no idea where to begin looking for Kyouya; he could be anywhere in the school, especially with the way he had taken off so suddenly. The girls at the club had asked a great deal about him, and not just his usual clients. Then again, everyone asked Tamaki about Kyouya nowadays. He never knew what to tell them.

As he rounded a corner, he sped directly into a flock of girls deep in conversation. They parted like birds in front of a speeding car, fluttering out of the way in a ruffled, frantic way. A few spun around to see who it was that had disturbed them. "Suou-senpai!" one of them called. "Suou-senpai, where are you going?"

"To the library!" he cried in return only because it was the first thing he could think to say. However, it wouldn't necessarily be such a bad place to start. They continued to shout after him, but he was too far gone now to be able to hear them. The beating of his soles and heart drowned them out anyway, and he was glad to round another corner so that he could be alone with the sounds once more.

The stairs leading down to the libraries posed a bit of a challenge considering his speed so he begrudgingly slowed himself so that he wouldn't fall. Then he was off again the moment he reached the bottom, though the door to the first library was only a few meters away. Skidding to a stop in front of it, he flung the doors open wildly, garnering a harsh look from students studying and harsher words from the librarian on duty.

"Just because your father is the superintendent, Su—"

Tamaki breezed past her easily, caring for neither rules nor superintendents right now. He scanned every face at every table wearing an expression so maddened that it frightened a few of the girls, who had certainly never seen a boy this way, let alone Tamaki Suou. He paid them no mind because they were not Kyouya and moved on quickly until every table was checked and rechecked and there was not an Ootori in sight. He left the library as quickly as he had entered, receiving another stern lecture in his passing that finished abruptly when he pulled the doors shut. Apparently she hadn't been all that intent in disciplining him, though, because she didn't follow him down the corridor to the next library.

Kyouya wasn't there either. Nor was he in the third or the fourth, though there had been a boy whom Tamaki had nearly mistaken for Kyouya until he started to laugh. His voice gave him away, and Tamaki left empty-handed yet again.

His hope was running out, having little fuel left on which to thrive. He had always seemed to be such a bottomless pit of exuberance, as if no amount of despair in the world could ever even think of slowing him down. Now it was looking like despair would win after all, conquering love and effectively destroying every single fairy tale he had ever been told. Beaten, he let his legs run themselves down, leaning against a wall and sliding to the floor as his breath fought to catch up with him. Tears threatened to consume him again, but he refused to let them; he wasn't going to cry about this anymore. He wasn't going to let Kyouya be worth this much to him.

He wished it were so easy.

He pulled himself wearily to his feet, stumbling a little and using the wall for support when his legs threatened to give out. He had run too far, too fast and they weren't at all prepared to go any further but he had to press on. Tamaki lifted his head, mustering the strength to continue, and saw Kyouya just ahead of him striding away just as coolly as ever. He wanted to scream, to make any sound at all to try catching his attention, but only wondered if that would even be enough. Knowing it might only make him run, Tamaki decided it was best to try to sneak up on him and pull him aside. They were in the library wing, which also meant studying rooms, and if they could just find one that was empty...

Tamaki hadn't a clue what it was that propelled him forward with such stealth and speed as he exhibited then, but he was grateful. His arm darted out, hooking around Kyouya's before he knew what was happening, and he swiftly pulled him to the side, into a wall, hard enough to matter but not enough to hurt. Kyouya was not only visibly thrown but immediately angered, though he said nothing. He didn't have to; it was all over a face that even in this state left Tamaki more breathless than any race he could have run to catch him.

"You...owe me...an explanation." Tamaki was still rather winded, whether from his running or Kyouya's expression, and he was sure it was some super human power that allowed him the strength to hold Kyouya in place like this. "You owe...me a lot..."

"I owe you nothing. I kept your silly club running for two years. I should think that is payment enough."

"Why did you go...to my father?" He willed his body to need less oxygen so that his breathing could lighten, so that he might be able to speak normally.

"I felt he was better equipped to deal with the situation than my own."

"Kyouya—"

"What did you want me to do, Tamaki? Let this continue? I have enough to worry about without having to hide a homose—"

Tamaki had finally found his breath and took in an exceptionally large one before forcing his lips to Kyouya's. He didn't care how much he resisted nor how hard he fought back because Tamaki was determined to make him see just how much this meant.

But Kyouya didn't fight back. His books and clipboard dropped from his arms and his hands twisted deliberately into Tamaki's shirt, even pulling him _closer_. Tamaki took it as a sign to oblige, shifting hips against hips to pin Kyouya to the wall and lips against lips to give Kyouya an opening. After a few moments, when no move was made, Tamaki took his own bait because he could no longer stand having such a pleasant, teasing warmth just out of reach. Their breathing sped up though it wasn't in sync, with Tamaki needing air in more rapid quantities because he hadn't yet recovered his breath from before. Kyouya would not relent, though, holding onto him until well after the very last second and leaving Tamaki to break the kiss himself when he could no longer stand the burning in his lungs. Then he waited quite patiently as his friend doubled over to pant, vulnerable and overwhelmed by a situation he hadn't in the least expected.

It took a long time for Tamaki to completely recover, though his head still swam a bit in the uncertain hopefulness of it all when he finally straightened to look at Kyouya again. "What?"

"I think we should go elsewhere. Somewhere a bit safer." Tamaki understood that Kyouya meant more private, though he couldn't put much more than that together. He only nodded and helped Kyouya to collect his things before the pair set off to find an empty room — a feat more easily theorized than actualized, even in a school of this size. Tamaki quickly realized, though, that Kyouya hadn't meant anywhere on campus; he led him off grounds, dialing his cell phone to have a car pick them up at the entrance to the school, insisting it be there before they exited the building.

Kyouya allowed Tamaki into the car first, sliding in easily beside him and letting the driver shut the door as he threw him a look. "_Ne parles pas maintenant. Nous allons parler quand nous arrivons chez moi_." ["Don't speak now. We will talk when we arrive at my house."]

"_Chez toi? Mais_, Kyouya..." ["Your house? But, Kyouya..."]

"_C'est bien. Le manoir est inoccupé._" ["It's okay. The house is empty."]

This settled Tamaki considerably, but every now and again he would throw strange looks to his friend, not in the least bit understanding this new madness that had come over him.

* * *

_à continuer_


	10. Tous pour l'amour

Author's Note: What a bumpy ride! However, we've nearly come to the very end of it. I cannot express enough thanks to all of the loyal readers of this story — I have looked forward to each and every one of your reviews. I even found myself getting nervous when one of you took a bit longer than expected to review a chapter! (hahaha) It's really very sad to think that this tale truly does have to end. I've had so much fun writing it and hopefully you've all had just as much fun reading it. I think that there was a lot more here that I wanted to say, but I've completely lost myself. So, without further ado, I present the tenth and final chapter of _Des Mots Simples_. Hopefully it lives up to all of your expectations! (^-^;)

* * *

**CHAPITRE DIX: TOUS POUR L'AMOUR** — **CHAPTER TEN: ALL FOR LOVE**

Tamaki knew the drive to the Ootori manor to be a long one from the school, but the seconds had never before passed so slowly. When the driver finally pulled around to the front doors, Tamaki all but sat on his hands to keep himself from leaping from the vehicle and dragging Kyouya with him just so that they could speak as soon as possible. Of course, Kyouya was quite calm, moving fluidly and without rushing. It drove his friend to a near breaking point.

The driver had already pulled away to park before Kyouya and Tamaki had finished ascending the stairs leading up to the front door. Tamaki kept throwing nervous sidelong glances at Kyouya who only looked straight ahead as if determined to keep Tamaki in as much suspense as possible, though they both knew it didn't take nearly this much diligence. It was actually a fairly safe bet that _most_ would know it didn't take nearly this much diligence, but Kyouya kept it up all the same all the way to his bedroom.

It was just as stark as Tamaki remembered it, but it had suited Kyouya just as well then as it still did now. Kyouya offered him a seat, which he took and within minutes there was a maid at the door with tea for the two of them. He didn't make her stay, instead having her leave the tray on the table so that he might serve it himself. "It is more personal this way," he argued, "especially since I haven't had Suou-san over for a very long time." She seemed pleased with this response and bowed gracefully before leaving the two of them to themselves.

Though Tamaki opened his mouth to speak almost as soon as she had left the room, Kyouya held up a hand to silence him. He delicately handled the pouring of the tea, making a rather large process of it — much larger than he ever made during club meetings. Tamaki was quite sure that he was only doing it to bother him now, and while he did what he could to indulge his friend considering the circumstances, he still wriggled restlessly in his place with all of the patience of a small child.

"If you have to use the bathroom, Tamaki, you know where the nearest one is." Tamaki shook his head, still considering his order of "do not speak" to be in effect. Kyouya smiled to himself a little, and paused to observe their cups beside each other for seconds that felt like hours to Tamaki. Finally, his eyes darted to his friend's, locking onto them with that same smile still on his face. Tamaki didn't know whether to melt or explode.

"Kyouya I don't understand what has been going through your head lately but I will do anything that I can to fix it even if it means that you will quit the club and we shall never again speak to each other because you are my best friend and I love you and there is not a thing in the world I wouldn't do for you." What little air remained in his lungs was expelled as quickly as his statement. He knew that Kyouya had heard him, had understood him, but there was still a very, very long wait between his confession and his friend's response.

"I apologize for acting so rashly. It is unlike me." He stopped speaking and Tamaki wondered if that was all Kyouya had brought him here to say. "I have been unkind, and I can promise you that it's wounded me just as deeply as it has you, if not even more. I told you before just how much you have come to mean to me, Tamaki. How much I've come to depend on you. You encourage me in many ways that my father cannot and that my sister can only mimic." Kyouya paused again, sipping his tea thoughtfully and swallowing. "The past few days have been an experiment."

"Experiment!—" Tamaki was outraged and wanted to say more but Kyouya clamped a swift hand over his mouth.

"I am not finished. The past few days have been an experiment in my feelings. I just didn't know how else to go about them. They are new and I still hardly understand them any better than I did before." Kyouya let his hand fall gently from Tamaki's mouth, clasping them together in his own lap. "But I do know that when you kissed me that day it lit a fire somewhere inside of me. Because of that, I have feared myself more lately than I can ever remembering fearing anything." Each of Kyouya's pauses caused a slight hiccup of breath to catch in Tamaki's throat, and each of those set a glimmer of a smirk across Kyouya's lips. He pointedly reached for his cup again, taking a moment to sip it once more before saying, "Except for all of the time I have spent so distanced from you."

"If you have been so afraid then why did you push me away? Why didn't you let me help you?"

"I couldn't. Not with the entire school talking about us. If word ever got around to my father, I would be done for."

"His standards for you don't matt—"

"They _do_ matter, Tamaki. They matter very much, even if not to you." He seemed deflated, more than just his ego bruised by Tamaki's immediate dismissal.

"Kyouya," Tamaki began, reaching for his friend's tea so that he could put it back onto the table. "It is not in a parent's nature to blindly and unconditionally approve of what their child does. Likewise, it is not in a child's nature to ever be able to live up to all of his parent's expectations. Your father asks too much of you, and you have delivered so much more than he ever dreamed that you would and one day he will understand that." This time Tamaki paused, trying Kyouya's tactic with a decidedly lacking effect. "It might not be today or tomorrow but if he wishes to keep you, he will learn."

Kyouya shook his head wearily. "Sometimes you truly don't understand—"

"I understand a lot more than you think I do and you know that so stop using that as an excuse for your fear." Both boys had been equally surprised by Tamaki's forcefulness. Tamaki was the first to shrug it off though and turned to face Kyouya, resting each of his hands on his shoulders. "If you want something badly enough, nothing can stand in your way. Especially fear."

"Tamaki..." Kyouya had never looked so small. Tamaki took him into his arms and held him, simultaneously relieved that he seemed to be instantly eased but anxious that this was just another set up. "I can't..."

"You can't because you think that you can't. Until you stop hindering yourself, not even I can help you."

Kyouya settled into Tamaki's arms comfortably, the latter holding him close but not tightly. The longer they stayed there, the more relaxed each of them felt, and soon Tamaki was lying back on the sofa and pulling Kyouya along with him. The other boy came easily, and they came together naturally, perhaps to make up for all of their previous awkwardness. Tamaki's fingers ran affectionately up and down Kyouya's spine, his eyes shut and his mouth curled into a smile that was more pleasant than triumphant. He knew that he had won at last — and truly, had been victorious all along — but that wasn't something that concerned him. He could feel Kyouya's gentle breathing against his skin and the light shuffling of his fingers against his shirt and that was enough for him.

Tamaki awoke not knowing he had fallen asleep and found Kyouya slumbering atop of him. His arms remained around him, though grasped him a bit more firmly before he settled back into the sofa. It had been hours since they'd left school and Tamaki's stomach was quick to remind him of that. The sound caused Kyouya to stir, but not awaken, so he ignored it for now; he wasn't about to disturb a situation as perfect as this for something as silly as dinner. It was a short wait, though, for after a bit more light stirring, Kyouya's eyes opened very carefully.

"Tamaki, hand me my glasses?" A hand felt blindly around on the table beside them, unsure of what it might find. After nearly knocking over both cups of cold tea, it discovered Kyouya's glasses and eagerly retrieved them. "Do you have any idea of the time?"

"No, but my guess would be sometime after dinner."

Kyouya laughed. "Men truly do have a one-track mind..."

"Ah, Kyouya, I am no mere man."

"That is true. The twins can attest to that." Tamaki was too offended to muster a true response beyond a noise of contempt that they both knew he didn't really mean. "In any case, I suppose we should get something to eat. You are welcome to stay."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"There are ways we can skirt the issue if it comes up." Two faces brightened, one shining with a glow it hadn't seen in far too long and the other glinting with its old cunning. "We are best friends, after all."

Unable to help himself, Tamaki reached up to take Kyouya's face in both hands, pulling him down to place a kiss that was more mess than anything else. Kyouya resisted just enough to lessen the impact, though lingered only moments before he pushed away entirely so that he could get to his feet. Tamaki looked a bit rejected, but only half-heartedly. "My only request is that we have something a bit more palatable than commoner's food."

"But Mommyyyy..."

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
